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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
MD Education Program

Family Medicine Clerkship

During the four-week Family Medicine Clerkship, third-year medical students at Indiana University School of Medicine work side-by-side with practicing physicians in urban cities, small towns and rural areas throughout Indiana. Students meet patients who present with acute medical problems as well as those who are chronically ill or may need preventive health education and witness first-hand how patients interact with their personal physician.

Training Objectives

Upon completion of the Family Medicine Clerkship, medical students are able to complete the following tasks. These training objectives align with the IU School of Medicine MD Curriculum Competencies and Institutional Learning Objectives. This alignment enables faculty and students to understand how current student learning prepares them for the next stage in training and for their ongoing practice and maintenance of certification.

Learn More

Prospective and current medical students can learn more about the Family Medicine clerkship on the Department of Family Medicine MD Education page.

Perform and interpret relevant, problem-focused histories and physical examinations in patients with undifferentiated and common chronic medical conditions.

Formulate and justify prioritized problem lists and differential diagnoses for both undifferentiated and common chronic medical problems.

Formulate and justify plausible plans of patient care for both undifferentiated and common medical problems.

Incorporate health promotion and disease prevention strategies into all patient visits based on health risk factors.

Differentiate normal and abnormal structure, function, growth and/or development for both undifferentiated and common chronic medical problems.

Explain the etiology, progression and/or prognosis of diseases, injuries and functional deficits commonly seen in both undifferentiated and common chronic medical conditions.

Recognize clinical presentations and explain the underlying pathology and pathophysiology of diseases, injuries and functional deficits commonly seen in both undifferentiated and common chronic medical conditions.

Describe the diagnosis, prevention, treatment or management of common of diseases, injuries and functional deficits commonly seen in both undifferentiated and common chronic medical conditions.

Analyze and evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic options using principles of evidence-based medicine.

Integrate biopsychosocial information into patient care in a manner which will improve patient outcomes.

Identify and discuss the family, support system, community, cultural, ethnic, religious, occupational and economic factors influencing patient management and outcomes.

Respond to clinical questions by independently seeking, analyzing and synthesizing evidence-based answers to advance clinical decision-making.

Seek, accept and apply feedback to clinical practice.

Identify the role and contributions of and establish respectful, effective relationships with the various members of the multi-professional health care team.

Identify a patient’s social context and analyze how it relates to their current state of health.

Describe the barriers faced by patients when accessing and utilizing health care that are rooted in health care policies and regulatory issues.

Describe methods of monitoring compliance with preventive services guidelines including concepts of population health.

Engage with other healthcare team members to develop strategies to meet specific patient care needs and health care barriers.

Demonstrate responsiveness to the whole patient by advocating for the patients’ and teams’ needs over their own and treating patients in a fair, unbiased, nonjudgmental manner.

Demonstrate responsibility for one’s own learning through daily preparation, full participation in learning activities, initiative in patient care, and timely completion of clerkship requirements.

Act in a professional manner by demonstrating compassion, respect, honesty, integrity and punctuality.

Adhere to ethical and legal principles in all interactions.

Communicate effectively with members of the healthcare team by clearly presenting clinical questions and data from the patient encounter.

Communicate effectively with patients and their families by listening attentively, allowing opportunities for questions, and maintaining appropriate eye contact.

Modify communication style based upon patients’ reactions and ability to understand.

Apply principles of motivational interviewing to help people with chronic conditions to make behavioral changes to support better health. (ISC4)

Construct oral presentations or written documents representing an organized, focused, account of the student-patient interaction.